Undoped powders were synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) of elemental powders using a nominal stoichiometric composition. Nano-structured, single-phase skutterudite was successfully produced by vacuum hot pressing (VHP) using MA powders without subsequent annealing. Phase transformations during synthesis were investigated using XRD, and microstructure was observed using SEM and TEM. Thermoelectric properties in terms of Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and figure of merit(ZT) were systematically measured and compared with the results of analogous studies. Lattice thermal conductivity was reduced owing to increasing phone scattering in nano-structured MA , leading to enhancement in the thermoelectric figure of merit. MA associated with VHP technique offers an alternative potential processing route for the process of skutterudite.

Branched sulfonated poly(ether sulfone-ketone) copolymer was prepared with bisphenol A, 4,4-difluorobenzophenone, sulfonated chlorophenyl sulfone (40mole% of bisphenol A) and THPE (1,1,1-tris-p-hydroxyphenylethane). THPE was used 0.4 mol% of bisphenol A to synthesize branched copolymers. Organic-inorganic nano composite membranes were prepared with copolymer and a series of nanoparticles (20 nm, 4, 7 and 10 wt%). The composite membranes were cast from dimethylsulfoxide solutions. The films were converted from the salt to acid forms with dilute hydrochloric acid. The membranes were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Sorption experiments were conducted to observe the interaction of sulfonated polymers with water and methanol. Branched copolymer and nano composite membranes exhibit proton conductivities from to , water uptake from 52.9 to 62.4%, IEC from 0.81 to 1.21 meq/g and methanol diffusion coefficients from to .

A stable method for strain distinction using viral RNA 1 structures analyses was developed and compared with the combined RT-PCR and RAPD methods. Seven out of 61 random primers were found to be polymorphic based on RAPD analysis resulting on the differentiation of the 33 BaYMV isolates into four distinct groups according to geographical districts. The first and largest group includes 13 isolate and consists mainly of two-rowed malting barley in Haenam area. The second group had ten collections from inland in west southern. The third group had seven isolates from west southern coastal region, where mainly six-rowed naked barley is cultivated. The last fourth group included three isolates from Gyungnam region in east southern area. Conclusively, RNA 1 analysis proved to be stable and efficient method for strain distinction for Korean BaYMV isolates. Further, results of pathogenicity and RNA 1 structure analyses revealed four groups BaYMV strains and were distributed all over Korea, represented by Naju, Haenam-okcheon, Iksan and Milyang.